Feb 26, 2021
Long before COVID-19 created chaos for schools, Scranton, Philadelphia and other school districts were immersed in emergencies created by asbestos and lead contamination in school buildings.
The problem is especially acute in many urban districts because their buildings often are old, but it is far from exclusive. Even districts formed by state-mandated mergers 40 years ago which often included the construction of new schools have problems with toxic materials.
Friday, a group of state House and Senate Democrats proposed a plan to attack hazardous conditions in public school buildings statewide.
The first part of the plan would expand the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program, the state’s principal economic development program, by $1 billion specifically to fund hazardous material removal projects in public schools.